Snippits from Carmen Renee Berry's book on finding the right church -
She was raised in a strict Nazarene Church and chose to rebel at young adult stage. But eventually she wrote.....
What have I discovered? God is still God, and people are as flawed as ever. Nothing much has changed there except my interpretation of these truths. Where human frailty once served as a reason for me to withdraw from the church, with its unruly and divergent congregants, this is now what compels me back to spiritual community. I had overlooked one essential factor�that I am as finite and flawed as everyone else.

About Church and Pastors There would be different pastors along the way, none of them exactly right for us until a few years ago when a tall African-American woman named Veronica came to lead us. She has huge gentle doctor hands, with dimples where the knuckles should be, like baby�s fists. She stepped into us, the wonderful old worn pair of pants that is St. Andrew, and they fit. She sings to us sometimes from the pulpit and tells us stories of when she was a child.

She told us this story just the other day: When she was about seven, her best friend got lost one day. The little girl ran up and down the streets of the big town where they lived, but she couldn�t find a single landmark. She was very frightened.
Finally a policeman stopped to help her. He put her in the passenger seat of his car, and they drove around until she finally saw her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, �You could let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here.�

And that is why I have stayed so close to mine�because no matter how bad I am feeling, how lost or lonely or frightened, when I see the faces of the people at my church, and hear their tawny voices, I can always find my way home.

Last night's (22/7/03) Prayer Meeting & Mission Night was well attended with about 23 people present.

Generally, there is a common threads as we summarised the prayer items from various groups .

Some of the Praise points are
1. Thank God for the good turn-out at last Sunday's 2nd Anniversary Service - some 200 turned-up
2. Sim thank God for a good outcome for the presentation where he requested prayer a couple of weeks ago
3. Say Yaun & Poh Lee thank God for the quick settling in Melbourne from Malaysia. Jason is settled in the Church youth. They finally moved into their own house etc.

Prayer points-
1. Healing for Sandra, Keat, Wong ping (Geneveive's dad), Jimmy, Lily & Martin Hardy, and many who has flu and colds.
2. families - stronger bonds and spiritual breakthroughs
3. Pastor Elisha & Phyliis 's posting to Egypt with Wycliffe - financial support & Confidentiality
4. Sunday school, Youth, Uni Cell & Young Adults and family cells - more female leaders, clear vision, consolidation into a more coherent group for synergy & greater effectiveness.

5. VCE students
6. Baptism candidates
7. A bigger venue
8. Jobs & Business opp for those in need - prosper those in business - Connie & Henry, Bill & Linda, Khee Hin & Gim Bee etc.
9. BOL Church to keep to the vision that God gave us,. Help us to constantly clarify and comminicate the vision, help us to hear better and the leadership team to work better.
10. For more workers, intercessors and cell leaders and new family cells to be form.